Iran lawmakers demand probe over speaker incident

Senior Iranian lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the incident involving the country's parliament speaker in the seminary city of Qom.

Ali Larijani was stopped from delivering a speech by chanting protesters in Qom during a ceremony Sunday marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The Emrooz daily and other Iranian newspapers said Tuesday that several lawmakers, including Alaeddin Boroujerdi from the influential committee on national security and foreign policy, condemned the incident.

The semiofficial Ilna news agency says about 100 protesters chanted against Larijani and some even threw their shoes at him.

Larijani has been a longtime rival to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who last week accused the speaker of abusing his authority.

The incident appears to be part of the power struggle ahead of the June presidential election.